Like Any Other Winter Day
by 1230james
Summary: The 27th was just like any other winter day for Mary in the library. As she attempts to write her novel, she finds that she's distracted by thoughts of Pete, the local city-boy-turned-farmer, who she's built a good relationship with. Will their relationship blossom today, or will it be just like any other day? [Pete x Mary / Jack x Mary, oneshot]
1. Pete Version

**"Like Any Other Winter Day"**

 **[A/N]** Pete is Jack. According to HM:GBC3, his name's officially Pete. If, for whatever reason, you're confused every time I use "Pete" instead of "Jack", Chapter 2 of this publication is the exact same story with "Pete" substituted with "Jack". You're welcome.

 **[Disclaimer]** Pete, Mary, Basil, Anna, Gray, Saibara, Tim (the Doctor), Zack, Won, Mineral Town, and all other characters, places, objects, and concepts related to the _Harvest Moon_ (Today, _Story of Seasons_ ) series are intellectual property of Marvelous Entertainment. None of the intellectual property used in this story are claimed by the author.

* * *

It was just like any other frigid winter day at the library in Mineral Town. Hardly a single soul even acknowledged building, especially during winter, when the townsfolk stayed indoors to shield themselves from the cold. People stayed in their homes or headed to Doug's inn for a fresh batch of cookies or a slice of apple pie that just came out of the oven. Who would want to come to the library, or even walk by it? There were books upon books filling the shelves from top to bottom, but no cozy fire nor heart-warming meals to enjoy.

Mary sighed. She sat at her desk working on a novel. "At least I can focus when it's quiet," she thought to herself. She would prefer some company over, though. Lately, the only people who bothered to show up were Pete, Gray, and the Doctor. The odd fellow would periodically stop by during the spring and summer seasons, but nobody else showed up regularly. She liked the ambient noises when people were visiting the library; the sound of pages turning periodically, pencils or pens against paper as notes were written, small noises stemming from astonished readers reacting to plot twists in the novel they were reading, etc.

Gray came by every afternoon when the library was open to relax and unwind; he started coming the day after Mary helped him after he accidentally hurt himself at work. She found it a little unusual, since Gray never came to the library at all beforehand, but she didn't mind. He said his grandfather would always yell at Gray for making mistakes in the blacksmith's shop. According to Gray, the yelling started to become less frequent lately, but Gray always claimed that coming to the library after work helped him to calm down and feel better. He always read the same novel he was reading during the previous visit, and each time he finished a novel, he asked Mary to recommend him a new one to read. When the library closed for the day, he would always thank her before leaving; she smiled at the realization that behind his stubborn attitude existed a softer personality.

The Doctor came by on Wednesdays. He gave a brief greeting each time, then headed upstairs to read. She never really bothered him once he went up, it was unclear to her what the Doctor read each week. "Probably books about anatomy or medicine," she said to herself. She did find a book open on the desk upstairs one Wednesday evening after the Doctor had left, though; it was open to a chapter about giving birth. There had not been a birth in a while, so maybe he was just brushing up? She didn't really know, nor did she think about asking the Doctor about it. Elli was a good assistant for him, anyway; "They probably have all the bases covered together."

Pete usually came by daily to read up on animals or plants. He was a city boy who had inherited the farm from the kindly old man who used to live there before the old man died roughly two or three years ago. Having come from the city, the most his agricultural knowledge extended to was raising a tomato plant and flowers in a small garden; nowhere near what he needed to know to grow a whole field of crops or livestock. He often stopped by to read Basil's books about plants, as well as other books about livestock. He seldom read for enjoyment, to Mary's disappointment. Leaning back in her chair, she thought back to the day a few seasons ago where Pete had found her crying a little at the top of Mother's Hill after reading a novel that moved her emotionally; she ended up giving the book to him for him to read. Knowing how busy he was during the year, he probably never read the book, but it was nice to imagine that the book made him cry, too, like he claimed it would.

Sometimes when Pete came by, he would give something to Mary. Just last week, in fact, on the 20th, he gave her an amethyst as a birthday present. "I know it's not much, but I know you're fascinated with some gems, and I don't want to risk cooking up something for you when I'm as good as Karen right now, so here you are!" he had said. She blushed a little just from the imagination. She unwrapped the gift and found the gem inside — even had it cut into a cleaner shape by Saibara. Ever since, she's kept the gem on her desk each time the library opened, admiring its shine from reflecting the light from the library's ceiling lights. It looked deep... it reminded her of the deep look in Pete's eyes she'd notice occasionally when she caught him staring at her during his library visits.

Mary sighed. She glanced at her watch and calendar — Thursday, 3:30 PM. Gray had caught a cold a few days ago — Mary had asked the Doctor when he came in during his last visit what had happened to Gray — so he wouldn't be showing up today. Strangely, Pete hadn't shown up, either. He usually came by sometime between 10 AM and noon, and sometimes later in the afternoon to talk with Gray. Pete usually wasn't busy on Thursdays, especially in the winter; he always spent time with his animals and did his mining in the early hours of the day. "Maybe he's just extra busy today making plans for the spring season...", she thought.

After a few minutes, Mary put her pen down. She was having trouble focusing on her writing; her mind kept drifting to Pete. She began daydreaming about the Starry Night Festival that had occurred a few nights ago...

* * *

The table was still being set when there was a knocking on the door. Mary went to go answer it.

Pete was waiting on the outside in the snow, dressed in his work attire. "Hello!"

"H-hi," Mary responded, "Thanks for coming."

Anna smiled — she seemed to have become attached to Pete over the years. "Hello! Come on in; we were just about to eat."

Basil was delighted. "Mary invited you, eh?" he said, chuckling, causing his daughter's face to turn pink. "I hope you enjoy yourself."

The four sat down at the dinner table and began to eat. Basil asked, "Hey Pete, do you want hear about the plants I'm researching?"

Anna scoffed in response, "Honey, don't bore Pete!" She turned to face their guest. "In that case, I want to hear about the farm!"

Pete thought for a moment while he chewed his food. After swallowing, he began speaking. "It's been going pretty well! I've got some chickens, cows, and sheep, and they're helping me support myself through the winter. I'll grow cucumbers and strawberries when spring comes around, like I did last year. Maybe grow some potatoes, too." He paused to take a drink. "Lots of work to be done when spring starts, with tilling the field and planting the seeds, but I think I'll manage."

"Interesting," Basil remarked. "You know, you should go see Won — you know, that salesman living with Zack? I hear he's got some really nice cabbage seeds coming in from Korea by boat tomorrow. You should see if he'll let you have some."

"I'll take note of that, thanks," Pete responded. He took another bite out of the pie they were having. "It'll be nice to finally let the livestock out in the spring, too. Sucks that I have to wait for the grass grow again, though; I cut it all the day before it started snowing to have more fodder for the animals."

"That sounds wonderful," said Anna. "Good luck to you next season!" She turned to face her daughter. "I'm sure you'll miss Pete coming everyday to visit you in the library, isn't that right, Mary?"

Mary felt her face become hot and tried to look away. "M-Mother..."

Basil chuckled again. "Anna, don't embarrass her in front of our guest! You're making her turn redder than a tomato." Mary whined softly in protest.

Pete smiled, and said, "Oh, I think I'll still be able to visit. I probably won't be able to come in the mornings as often, but I'll definitely try for the afternoons." He looked at Basil and Anna. "I could also just stop by here if the library's closed, if that's all right with you?"

Anna responded, "Of course. Don't hesitate to stop by if you ever need to see any of us."

Basil nodded in agreement. "You're a good man, Pete; you'll always be welcome here."

They continued to eat and talk throughout the evening.

* * *

Pete yawned and stretched. "Well, that was wonderful! I should get going; it's pretty late, and I'm tired." He glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight. "Thanks for having me over tonight; it was a pleasure."

Basil nodded. "Alright, then. See you again soon, Pete." He turned to Mary. "Mary, would you like to lead him out?"

"Sure," she responded. Mary opened the door for the farmer, and he stepped out.

Before leaving, though, he turned around to speak with Mary. "Thanks again for inviting me, Mary. Your parents are really nice."

The librarian felt her face become warm. "I-I'm glad you enjoyed it," she responded.

There was a brief silence before Pete said, "...Mary?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be busy on Thursday?"

"Not particularly... why?"

"Ah... I was just curious. I'll stop by the library then, okay?"

"O-okay." She smiled at him. "See you then; have a good night."

Suddenly, he pulled Mary in for an embrace. Almost immediately, she felt her face turn extremely warm. After hugging her for a few seconds, he let go. "Good night," he finally said; Mary could barely make out the warm smile on his face in the darkness of the winter night. He turned around and started walking down the snow-caked road.

Mary watched as his figure slowly vanished into the darkness, hardly able to stop smiling.

* * *

She shook her head. "I need to focus!" she thought to herself, and she began to write furiously.

A few minutes passed when she heard the door open. She looked up briefly to see Pete in the doorway with a jar of honey in his hands. He shut the door behind him, and said, "Sorry I'm a little late, Mary. I took a bit longer in the mines than I thought I would today."

"Ah... that's okay. It's not a problem," she responded, smiling.

He put the jar on Mary's desk. "This is for you. I know how much you like to put honey in your tea, and I figured you might be running low on some."

Mary felt her face warming up. "Aw, thank you so much!" She observed the jar for a moment before resuming her writing.

Pete watched curiously. "Is this the novel you've been working on? Gray told me you showed him a chapter, and he said it was one of the best things he's ever read."

"D-did he say that?" Mary looked up and stammered, "S-surely an amateur writer like myself couldn't have written something better than any novel he's read before..."

"Well, you might think so, but he sure seemed confident in his opinion." Pete sat down in the chair across the room. "Mind if I have a look later?"

"I guess you could. C-could you wait a bit, though? I really need to finish this chapter right now."

"By all means." He turned around and began to think about something. Mary went back to writing once again.

After about ten minutes, she had become focused on her novel to such an extent that she didn't notice that Pete had stood up and walked to the center of the room.

Suddenly, he asked, "...Mary, could I show you something special?"

"Hold on Pete, I'm still writing," she responded without looking up.

"Can't you stop for just a second?" he implored.

Mary still didn't look up, but she stopped writing for a brief moment. "Pete, please. This is important to me." She paused for a second, then continued writing while saying, "I don't mean to sound disinterested, but I really want to finish this first."

Pete thought for a moment, then nodded. "...I understand. I'll leave it next to the honey jar." He placed an item behind the honey jar, both of which were out of Mary's view while she wrote.

After several more minutes had passed, she put her pen down. "Finished with this chapter!" She held up the pages she had been writing on, scratched-out words and little edits sprinkled throughout the pages.

She turned to Pete. "So, what was it that you wanted to show—?"

She looked at the item behind the jar. Suddenly, she gasped.

She looked at Pete in astonishment; the same warm smile he had given her after the Starry Night Festival was on his face once more.

She looked back at the item behind the jar, and picked it up gently.

It was a blue feather.

Mary felt her face rapidly warming up as the blood rushed into her cheeks. "...P-Pete... why is this—? What—?" She struggled to find the words to express herself.

Pete pulled up a chair and sit down right next to the librarian. "Mary, you've been on my mind these past few years. I appreciate how much you care for your books and your novel; it gives me inspiration to do the best I can with the farm I was given." He placed a hand on her arm. "I'm always welcomed by your warm smile..." He paused for a moment, "...and something about your smart and shy personality is really charming for me."

Mary, blushing profusely, tried to look away. "B-but—"

Pete continued speaking, regardless. "I'm no good with words like you are, so what I'm saying right now might be really simplistic or cheesy, but at any rate... I want to be a part of your family, and for you to be a part of mine."

He pushed his chair back to make room for himself to get on the floor on one knee. "Mary... would you grant me that privilege and marry me?"

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, he heard Mary crying softly.

"...Mary? What's wrong?" He got up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"...Pete—" She could hardly speak through her tears, "...th-these aren't tears of sadness—"

Suddenly, she got up and pulled him closer to her. Within moments, her lips met his, staying connected for a moment before she pulled away.

"...Pete, I'd be honored," she finally managed to say.

The farmer smiled. "Thank you." He gently hugged Mary. "...should we go tell your parents now?"

Gradually regaining her composure and fixing her glasses, she responded, "Y-yes, we should. I'll go and put my writing away—"

Mary looked down at her sheets and saw that some of the words on the uppermost pages were now muddled by her tears.

Pete noticed the same thing. "O-oh—! Mary, I'm sorry I caused your work to—"

"It's okay."

"...i-it is?"

Mary turned her head to look at Pete, smiling and with a deep look in her eyes. "I can just rewrite them tomorrow; it's not a big deal."

Pete felt relieved, happy that he hadn't upset his now-fiancée. "That's good to hear." He traced the edge of Mary's hair with his hand. "I'll try to come by as early as I can tomorrow to help you rewrite it."

"Aww, thank you," she responded.

He picked up the honey jar and feather while Mary turned off the lights and put the cut amethyst in her pocket. "Let's go see your parents now," he said.

They stepped out into the street; it was snowing gently outside, but in the distance, the clouds were clearing, letting the sunlight shine through, and allowing for a clear view of the sky, which was blue with the slightest hint of orange and yellow with the sun just now beginning to set. Mary locked the door to the library, and the couple walked the twenty feet to the front door of her house.

"Here, let me have the feather so they'll know how I responded," she said, taking the feather from Pete.

She grasped the feather firmly in her right hand, took a deep breath, then opened the door with her left hand. Anna and Basil, who were sitting at the dinner table, looked up at her.

"Mother, Father, Pete and I have an announcement..." she began, holding up the blue feather for both her parents to see.

* * *

To most of the residents, the 27th was like any other frigid winter day in Mineral Town. Hardly a soul acknowledged the library's presence, with most people shielding themselves from the chilly temperatures by staying indoors. But that day was anything but a normal day in that library.

Some would say that spring came early, as love blossomed like the flowers in the meadow below Mother's Hill. There was no cozy fire to sit by, nor were there was no heart-warming meals to share with friends and family, but for a special pair, the winter seemed warmer regardless.


	2. Jack Version

**"Like Any Other Winter Day"**

 **[A/N]** This chapter is identical to the first chapter in this publication, except every instead of "Pete" is replaced with "Jack" for the sake of reader preference. If you would prefer the story be told using the canonical name "Pete", read Chapter 1 instead.

 **[Disclaimer]** Pete (referred to as Jack), Mary, Basil, Anna, Gray, Saibara, Tim (the Doctor), Zack, Won, Mineral Town, and all other characters, places, objects, and concepts related to the _Harvest Moon_ (Today, _Story of Seasons_ ) series are intellectual property of Marvelous Entertainment. None of the intellectual property used in this story are claimed by the author.

* * *

It was just like any other frigid winter day at the library in Mineral Town. Hardly a single soul even acknowledged building, especially during winter, when the townsfolk stayed indoors to shield themselves from the cold. People stayed in their homes or headed to Doug's inn for a fresh batch of cookies or a slice of apple pie that just came out of the oven. Who would want to come to the library, or even walk by it? There were books upon books filling the shelves from top to bottom, but no cozy fire nor heart-warming meals to enjoy.

Mary sighed. She sat at her desk working on a novel. "At least I can focus when it's quiet," she thought to herself. She would prefer some company over, though. Lately, the only people who bothered to show up were Jack, Gray, and the Doctor. The odd fellow would periodically stop by during the spring and summer seasons, but nobody else showed up regularly. She liked the ambient noises when people were visiting the library; the sound of pages turning periodically, pencils or pens against paper as notes were written, small noises stemming from astonished readers reacting to plot twists in the novel they were reading, etc.

Gray came by every afternoon when the library was open to relax and unwind; he started coming the day after Mary helped him after he accidentally hurt himself at work. She found it a little unusual, since Gray never came to the library at all beforehand, but she didn't mind. He said his grandfather would always yell at Gray for making mistakes in the blacksmith's shop. According to Gray, the yelling started to become less frequent lately, but Gray always claimed that coming to the library after work helped him to calm down and feel better. He always read the same novel he was reading during the previous visit, and each time he finished a novel, he asked Mary to recommend him a new one to read. When the library closed for the day, he would always thank her before leaving; she smiled at the realization that behind his stubborn attitude existed a softer personality.

The Doctor came by on Wednesdays. He gave a brief greeting each time, then headed upstairs to read. She never really bothered him once he went up, it was unclear to her what the Doctor read each week. "Probably books about anatomy or medicine," she said to herself. She did find a book open on the desk upstairs one Wednesday evening after the Doctor had left, though; it was open to a chapter about giving birth. There had not been a birth in a while, so maybe he was just brushing up? She didn't really know, nor did she think about asking the Doctor about it. Elli was a good assistant for him, anyway; "They probably have all the bases covered together."

Jack usually came by daily to read up on animals or plants. He was a city boy who had inherited the farm from the kindly old man who used to live there before the old man died roughly two or three years ago. Having come from the city, the most his agricultural knowledge extended to was raising a tomato plant and flowers in a small garden; nowhere near what he needed to know to grow a whole field of crops or livestock. He often stopped by to read Basil's books about plants, as well as other books about livestock. He seldom read for enjoyment, to Mary's disappointment. Leaning back in her chair, she thought back to the day a few seasons ago where Jack had found her crying a little at the top of Mother's Hill after reading a novel that moved her emotionally; she ended up giving the book to him for him to read. Knowing how busy he was during the year, he probably never read the book, but it was nice to imagine that the book made him cry, too, like he claimed it would.

Sometimes when Jack came by, he would give something to Mary. Just last week, in fact, on the 20th, he gave her an amethyst as a birthday present. "I know it's not much, but I know you're fascinated with some gems, and I don't want to risk cooking up something for you when I'm as good as Karen right now, so here you are!" he had said. She blushed a little just from the imagination. She unwrapped the gift and found the gem inside — even had it cut into a cleaner shape by Saibara. Ever since, she's kept the gem on her desk each time the library opened, admiring its shine from reflecting the light from the library's ceiling lights. It looked deep... it reminded her of the deep look in Jack's eyes she'd notice occasionally when she caught him staring at her during his library visits.

Mary sighed. She glanced at her watch and calendar — Thursday, 3:30 PM. Gray had caught a cold a few days ago — Mary had asked the Doctor when he came in during his last visit what had happened to Gray — so he wouldn't be showing up today. Strangely, Jack hadn't shown up, either. He usually came by sometime between 10 AM and noon, and sometimes later in the afternoon to talk with Gray. Jack usually wasn't busy on Thursdays, especially in the winter; he always spent time with his animals and did his mining in the early hours of the day. "Maybe he's just extra busy today making plans for the spring season...", she thought.

After a few minutes, Mary put her pen down. She was having trouble focusing on her writing; her mind kept drifting to Jack. She began daydreaming about the Starry Night Festival that had occurred a few nights ago...

* * *

The table was still being set when there was a knocking on the door. Mary went to go answer it.

Jack was waiting on the outside in the snow, dressed in his work attire. "Hello!"

"H-hi," Mary responded, "Thanks for coming."

Anna smiled — she seemed to have become attached to Jack over the years. "Hello! Come on in; we were just about to eat."

Basil was delighted. "Mary invited you, eh?" he said, chuckling, causing his daughter's face to turn pink. "I hope you enjoy yourself."

The four sat down at the dinner table and began to eat. Basil asked, "Hey Jack, do you want hear about the plants I'm researching?"

Anna scoffed in response, "Honey, don't bore Jack!" She turned to face their guest. "In that case, I want to hear about the farm!"

Jack thought for a moment while he chewed his food. After swallowing, he began speaking. "It's been going pretty well! I've got some chickens, cows, and sheep, and they're helping me support myself through the winter. I'll grow cucumbers and strawberries when spring comes around, like I did last year. Maybe grow some potatoes, too." He paused to take a drink. "Lots of work to be done when spring starts, with tilling the field and planting the seeds, but I think I'll manage."

"Interesting," Basil remarked. "You know, you should go see Won — you know, that salesman living with Zack? I hear he's got some really nice cabbage seeds coming in from Korea by boat tomorrow. You should see if he'll let you have some."

"I'll take note of that, thanks," Jack responded. He took another bite out of the pie they were having. "It'll be nice to finally let the livestock out in the spring, too. Sucks that I have to wait for the grass grow again, though; I cut it all the day before it started snowing to have more fodder for the animals."

"That sounds wonderful," said Anna. "Good luck to you next season!" She turned to face her daughter. "I'm sure you'll miss Jack coming everyday to visit you in the library, isn't that right, Mary?"

Mary felt her face become hot and tried to look away. "M-Mother..."

Basil chuckled again. "Anna, don't embarrass her in front of our guest! You're making her turn redder than a tomato." Mary whined softly in protest.

Jack smiled, and said, "Oh, I think I'll still be able to visit. I probably won't be able to come in the mornings as often, but I'll definitely try for the afternoons." He looked at Basil and Anna. "I could also just stop by here if the library's closed, if that's all right with you?"

Anna responded, "Of course. Don't hesitate to stop by if you ever need to see any of us."

Basil nodded in agreement. "You're a good man, Jack; you'll always be welcome here."

They continued to eat and talk throughout the evening.

* * *

Jack yawned and stretched. "Well, that was wonderful! I should get going; it's pretty late, and I'm tired." He glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight. "Thanks for having me over tonight; it was a pleasure."

Basil nodded. "Alright, then. See you again soon, Jack." He turned to Mary. "Mary, would you like to lead him out?"

"Sure," she responded. Mary opened the door for the farmer, and he stepped out.

Before leaving, though, he turned around to speak with Mary. "Thanks again for inviting me, Mary. Your parents are really nice."

The librarian felt her face become warm. "I-I'm glad you enjoyed it," she responded.

There was a brief silence before Jack said, "...Mary?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be busy on Thursday?"

"Not particularly... why?"

"Ah... I was just curious. I'll stop by the library then, okay?"

"O-okay." She smiled at him. "See you then; have a good night."

Suddenly, he pulled Mary in for an embrace. Almost immediately, she felt her face turn extremely warm. After hugging her for a few seconds, he let go. "Good night," he finally said; Mary could barely make out the warm smile on his face in the darkness of the winter night. He turned around and started walking down the snow-caked road.

Mary watched as his figure slowly vanished into the darkness, hardly able to stop smiling.

* * *

She shook her head. "I need to focus!" she thought to herself, and she began to write furiously.

A few minutes passed when she heard the door open. She looked up briefly to see Jack in the doorway with a jar of honey in his hands. He shut the door behind him, and said, "Sorry I'm a little late, Mary. I took a bit longer in the mines than I thought I would today."

"Ah... that's okay. It's not a problem," she responded, smiling.

He put the jar on Mary's desk. "This is for you. I know how much you like to put honey in your tea, and I figured you might be running low on some."

Mary felt her face warming up. "Aw, thank you so much!" She observed the jar for a moment before resuming her writing.

Jack watched curiously. "Is this the novel you've been working on? Gray told me you showed him a chapter, and he said it was one of the best things he's ever read."

"D-did he say that?" Mary looked up and stammered, "S-surely an amateur writer like myself couldn't have written something better than any novel he's read before..."

"Well, you might think so, but he sure seemed confident in his opinion." Jack sat down in the chair across the room. "Mind if I have a look later?"

"I guess you could. C-could you wait a bit, though? I really need to finish this chapter right now."

"By all means." He turned around and began to think about something. Mary went back to writing once again.

After about ten minutes, she had become focused on her novel to such an extent that she didn't notice that Jack had stood up and walked to the center of the room.

Suddenly, he asked, "...Mary, could I show you something special?"

"Hold on Jack, I'm still writing," she responded without looking up.

"Can't you stop for just a second?" he implored.

Mary still didn't look up, but she stopped writing for a brief moment. "Jack, please. This is important to me." She paused for a second, then continued writing while saying, "I don't mean to sound disinterested, but I really want to finish this first."

Jack thought for a moment, then nodded. "...I understand. I'll leave it next to the honey jar." He placed an item behind the honey jar, both of which were out of Mary's view while she wrote.

After several more minutes had passed, she put her pen down. "Finished with this chapter!" She held up the pages she had been writing on, scratched-out words and little edits sprinkled throughout the pages.

She turned to Jack. "So, what was it that you wanted to show—?"

She looked at the item behind the jar. Suddenly, she gasped.

She looked at Jack in astonishment; the same warm smile he had given her after the Starry Night Festival was on his face once more.

She looked back at the item behind the jar, and picked it up gently.

It was a blue feather.

Mary felt her face rapidly warming up as the blood rushed into her cheeks. "...J-Jack... why is this—? What—?" She struggled to find the words to express herself.

Jack pulled up a chair and sit down right next to the librarian. "Mary, you've been on my mind these past few years. I appreciate how much you care for your books and your novel; it gives me inspiration to do the best I can with the farm I was given." He placed a hand on her arm. "I'm always welcomed by your warm smile..." He paused for a moment, "...and something about your smart and shy personality is really charming for me."

Mary, blushing profusely, tried to look away. "B-but—"

Jack continued speaking, regardless. "I'm no good with words like you are, so what I'm saying right now might be really simplistic or cheesy, but at any rate... I want to be a part of your family, and for you to be a part of mine."

He pushed his chair back to make room for himself to get on the floor on one knee. "Mary... would you grant me that privilege and marry me?"

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, he heard Mary crying softly.

"...Mary? What's wrong?" He got up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"...Jack—" She could hardly speak through her tears, "...th-these aren't tears of sadness—"

Suddenly, she got up and pulled him closer to her. Within moments, her lips met his, staying connected for a moment before she pulled away.

"...Jack, I'd be honored," she finally managed to say.

The farmer smiled. "Thank you." He gently hugged Mary. "...should we go tell your parents now?"

Gradually regaining her composure and fixing her glasses, she responded, "Y-yes, we should. I'll go and put my writing away—"

Mary looked down at her sheets and saw that some of the words on the uppermost pages were now muddled by her tears.

Jack noticed the same thing. "O-oh—! Mary, I'm sorry I caused your work to—"

"It's okay."

"...i-it is?"

Mary turned her head to look at Jack, smiling and with a deep look in her eyes. "I can just rewrite them tomorrow; it's not a big deal."

Jack felt relieved, happy that he hadn't upset his now-fiancée. "That's good to hear." He traced the edge of Mary's hair with his hand. "I'll try to come by as early as I can tomorrow to help you rewrite it."

"Aww, thank you," she responded.

He picked up the honey jar and feather while Mary turned off the lights and put the cut amethyst in her pocket. "Let's go see your parents now," he said.

They stepped out into the street; it was snowing gently outside, but in the distance, the clouds were clearing, letting the sunlight shine through, and allowing for a clear view of the sky, which was blue with the slightest hint of orange and yellow with the sun just now beginning to set. Mary locked the door to the library, and the couple walked the twenty feet to the front door of her house.

"Here, let me have the feather so they'll know how I responded," she said, taking the feather from Jack.

She grasped the feather firmly in her right hand, took a deep breath, then opened the door with her left hand. Anna and Basil, who were sitting at the dinner table, looked up at her.

"Mother, Father, Jack and I have an announcement..." she began, holding up the blue feather for both her parents to see.

* * *

To most of the residents, the 27th was like any other frigid winter day in Mineral Town. Hardly a soul acknowledged the library's presence, with most people shielding themselves from the chilly temperatures by staying indoors. But that day was anything but a normal day in that library.

Some would say that spring came early, as love blossomed like the flowers in the meadow below Mother's Hill. There was no cozy fire to sit by, nor were there was no heart-warming meals to share with friends and family, but for a special pair, the winter seemed warmer regardless.


End file.
